After enduring a vicious assault nearly seven months ago at the hands of a 40-year-old white assailant that left him with a broken nose and fractured face, Darell Preston will soon witness justice unfold.
Recently, Daniel Thomas Warren, the perpetrator, pleaded guilty to one count of assault in the third degree and no contest to one count of bias crime in the first degree, as reported by Fox 12 Oregon.
Despite Warren’s admission of the attack, he refuses to acknowledge its racial motivation, despite witnesses hearing him spew derogatory slurs, including the abhorrent use of the N-word.
Initially mistaken for a hit-and-run victim in the Portland area, police arrived to find Preston’s battered face in July 2023. Preston, the proprietor of LoRell’s Chicken Shack, recounts being ambushed by Warren while making deliveries, enduring a torrent of unprovoked kicks and punches along with racial epithets.
Video evidence captured Warren callously walking away from the scene, even stomping on Preston once more, before being apprehended by authorities days later.
Community members swiftly rallied around Preston, launching a GoFundMe campaign to aid in his recovery from injuries that included a broken nose, facial fractures, and severe lacerations to his eyes and mouth. The fundraiser has amassed over $89,000 in support of Preston’s rehabilitation.
With Preston gradually returning to work and focusing on recuperation, the impending sentencing of Warren on Feb. 21 offers a semblance of closure and accountability in the wake of this disturbing incident.
SOURCE: theroot.com